Names of Newborns in Latvia: Recent Changes

The aim of the article is to introduce the names given to newborns in Latvia during the last 16 years, in order to identify the latest tendencies for choosing names. The article provides a comparison between the contemporary situation and historical data on the most popular names 100 years ago. Ther...

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1. autor: Balode, Laimute
Format: Online
Język:angielski
Wydane: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego 2025
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Dostęp online:https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/159839
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author Balode, Laimute
author_browse Balode, Laimute
author_facet Balode, Laimute
author_sort Balode, Laimute
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description The aim of the article is to introduce the names given to newborns in Latvia during the last 16 years, in order to identify the latest tendencies for choosing names. The article provides a comparison between the contemporary situation and historical data on the most popular names 100 years ago. There are some noticeable movements in the anthroponymic stock of Latvia. Increasingly, newborns are given two or even three names, although by law it is allowed to have no more than two first-names. An inherited family name has often been chosen as a second name, but more frequently the second name reflects national identity. More and more parents choose names for their children that would be international, easily pronounced, short, and without diacritical marks (Martin instead of Latv. traditional Mārtiņš). The number of borrowed foreign first names has increased rapidly. Originality has become a factor in name choosing: a lot of neologisms based on Latvian appellatives, mostly with the primary semantics of nature, have been coined (Kastanis ‘chestnut’, Zemis ‘land’). Though diminutive forms as official names are allowed in Latvia, they are not popular anymore. It is quite common for parents to change the gender of a name (e.g., Zane f. > Zanis m.). It is fashionable today to give first names of toponymic origin (Beverīna, Turaida). The article also presents public attitudes towards these changes. A short overview on the comparison of the latest tendencies in neighbouring countries is given as well.
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1598392025-05-19T11:18:55Z Names of Newborns in Latvia: Recent Changes Balode, Laimute Latvian onomastics anthroponymy given names identity thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics The aim of the article is to introduce the names given to newborns in Latvia during the last 16 years, in order to identify the latest tendencies for choosing names. The article provides a comparison between the contemporary situation and historical data on the most popular names 100 years ago. There are some noticeable movements in the anthroponymic stock of Latvia. Increasingly, newborns are given two or even three names, although by law it is allowed to have no more than two first-names. An inherited family name has often been chosen as a second name, but more frequently the second name reflects national identity. More and more parents choose names for their children that would be international, easily pronounced, short, and without diacritical marks (Martin instead of Latv. traditional Mārtiņš). The number of borrowed foreign first names has increased rapidly. Originality has become a factor in name choosing: a lot of neologisms based on Latvian appellatives, mostly with the primary semantics of nature, have been coined (Kastanis ‘chestnut’, Zemis ‘land’). Though diminutive forms as official names are allowed in Latvia, they are not popular anymore. It is quite common for parents to change the gender of a name (e.g., Zane f. > Zanis m.). It is fashionable today to give first names of toponymic origin (Beverīna, Turaida). The article also presents public attitudes towards these changes. A short overview on the comparison of the latest tendencies in neighbouring countries is given as well. Published 2025-05-19T11:18:53Z 2025-05-19T11:18:53Z 2023-12-12 chapter 9788323374466 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/159839 eng image/jpeg Attribution 4.0 International https://wuj.pl/ksiazka/onomastics-in-interaction-with-other-branches-of-science-volume-2#otwarty-dostep https://wuj.pl/names-of-newborns-in-latvia-recent-changes Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego Onomastics in Interaction With Other Branches of Science. Volume 2. Anthroponomastics 10.4467/K7446.46/22.23.17268 10.4467/K7446.46/22.23.17268 b56389e6-bd6e-43b9-abc7-9af91c5afc6b e93deae3-b5ec-4abe-b483-2a536826b783 9788323374466 21-47 open access
spellingShingle Latvian
onomastics
anthroponymy
given names
identity
thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics
Balode, Laimute
Names of Newborns in Latvia: Recent Changes
title Names of Newborns in Latvia: Recent Changes
title_full Names of Newborns in Latvia: Recent Changes
title_fullStr Names of Newborns in Latvia: Recent Changes
title_full_unstemmed Names of Newborns in Latvia: Recent Changes
title_short Names of Newborns in Latvia: Recent Changes
title_sort names of newborns in latvia recent changes
topic Latvian
onomastics
anthroponymy
given names
identity
thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics
topic_facet Latvian
onomastics
anthroponymy
given names
identity
thema EDItEUR::C Language and Linguistics
url https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/159839
work_keys_str_mv AT balodelaimute namesofnewbornsinlatviarecentchanges